Is "Made in China" any good?

We have all seen "Made in China" stamped on goods of all kinds. Such goods are often cheap - but are they any good?

Now, most of us have heard of the food adulteration scandals, of people being poisoned, some even dying in various incidents regarding Chinese products, around the world. That, however, is not the subject of my post. Something smaller but also of significance has drawn my attention.

Today, I was shopping when I noted a food item from China marked: "Organic". It was also cheaper than the non-organic alternative on offer. Naturally, therefore, I thought it a bargain and got two packets.

As I was about to pay, I hefted the Chinese food items and noted something odd. They seemed lighter than I expected from the stated 125 grams a pack. Curious, I took the packages to the weighing centre in the supermarket and duly weighed them. The first was not 125 grams, but just 106 grams. The second was 112 grams. Both were underweight.

Now, that surprised me, for it meant something very clear: the goods, far from being cheaper than the alternative, were actually more expensive - because the weight was much less than the label stated. Thus, rather than being the bargain they seemed, they were actually a con.

So, the next time you are shopping and you have the odd sensation that your purchases are lighter than they should be, perhaps you should weigh them. You might be surprised at what you find, particularly if the goods are from China.

It seems that the Chinese food suppliers are creating a competitive advantage for themselves by advertising a lower price than the competitors, putting the same weight (as their competitors' products) on the labels, but then putting less of the product in the container than they should. Ultimately, they are creating a situation in which the customer voluntarily pays more per gram of product than they otherwise would, while convincing them that they are buying a bargain. What a con.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

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